cannabisnews.com: Hemp, Hemp, Hooray!
Hemp, Hemp, Hooray!
Posted by CN Staff on September 28, 2004 at 09:05:27 PT
By Genevieve Bookwalter, Sentinel Staff Writer
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel
Santa Cruz retailers Monday hailed the federal governmentís decision not to pursue a ban on food made with or from the controversial hemp plant.The decision comes three years after the Bush administration tried to stop sales of food made with hemp, which contains trace amounts of tetrahydrocannobinol, or THC, the mind-altering chemical in marijuana.
"It seems ridiculous to me that it shouldnít be legal," said Kiona Pfeiffer, a vitamin sales clerk at Staff of Life Natural Foods Market in Santa Cruz.A popular ingredient in foods from energy bars to waffles to milk-free cheese, hemp has been lauded as a high source of protein, fiber and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.Hemp food sellers say their products contain such a small amount of the active ingredient in marijuana that itís impossible to experience any drug-like effects.Monday night was the deadline for the government to challenge a federal appellate courtís February decision to the Supreme Court that the United States cannot ban the domestic sale of hemp foods.Patrick Goggin, a San Francisco lawyer representing the Hemp Industries Association, said the government informed the groupís legal team that it would let Mondayís deadline to appeal expire."I think theyíre choosing their battles. They donít see this as a battle they can win," Goggin said.Justice Department spokesman Charles Miller declined comment.The San Francisco-based appeals court said that although the Drug Enforcement Administration has regulatory authority over marijuana and synthetically-derived THC, the agency did not have the authority to ban foods derived from hemp. The court said it was not possible to get high from products with only trace amounts of the mind-altering chemical.Hemp is an industrial plant related to marijuana. Fiber from the plant long has been used to make paper, clothing, rope and other products. Its oil is found in body-care products such as lotion, soap and cosmetics.Three years ago, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put the law stopping its sale on hold, allowing the industry to continue marketing its hemp-food products with hemp produced in Canada and overseas while the legal battle continued.With the wait over and ban lifted, Mariana Friedman, nutrition and body care coordinator for New Leaf Markets in Santa Cruz, Capitola, Felton and Boulder Creek, said she expects more brands to market the popular hemp items."Now that a lot of the pressure from the government has cooled off, I think a lot of companies will be carrying it," Friedman said. "Itís one of the new buzzwords."Other retailers said they hope to see less government scrutiny of the hemp products they stock.For example, Marquita Garcia, cashier at Gypsy Rose in Santa Cruz, said her store has imported hemp fabric from India and China, only to have it held up in customs. The hassle became so big that the store finally stopped carrying it.At Eco Goods in Santa Cruz, store manager Lily Ruderman said the decision not only allows her to continue stocking shelves with hemp nutrition bars, but ensures other items will remain in the store as well."It could have gone on to place a ban on hemp body care products or hemp clothing," Ruderman said. "Itís a really important precedent."The case is Hemp Industries Association v. Drug Enforcement Administration, 03-71366. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Note: Hemp-food sellers praise FDA for ending legal food fight.Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA)Author: Genevieve Bookwalter, Sentinel Staff WriterPublished: September 28, 2004 Copyright: 2004 Santa Cruz SentinelContact: editorial santa-cruz.comWebsite: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:HIAhttp://www.thehia.org/Cannabis News Hemp Linkshttp://freedomtoexhale.com/hls.htmHIA Vs. DEA Hemp Ruling http://freedomtoexhale.com/hempruling.pdfDEA's Failed Battle To Ban Hemp Food is Overhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19555.shtmlHemp Industry on Fire http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19545.shtmlCourt Declares Hemp Legal To Consumehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18391.shtml
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on September 28, 2004 at 11:18:46 PT
dr slider
I'm glad you felt comfortable joining in with us here on CNews. I believe most of the people here think along the same lines and I appreciate knowing that I'm not alone for looking at issues the way I do.
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Comment #3 posted by dr slider on September 28, 2004 at 11:12:05 PT:
FoM
And thank goodness for you. I've been following Cnews for quite some time all the while apprehensive of joining the fray, and for all practical purposes destroying my anonymity. We know they watch. I guess I just trust that She that gave us cannabis, will keep them chasing birdfood and leave me alone, or not, not my providence.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on September 28, 2004 at 10:47:43 PT
dr slider
It is interesting that no news has been written really about Montel's show. It just reminds me to always remember that important issues often are pushed aside. Thank goodness for the Internet.
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Comment #1 posted by dr slider on September 28, 2004 at 10:41:17 PT:
a kinder gentler prohib
"Hemp is an industrial material related to marijuana." AND "marijuana" is the term stolen by Hearst et. al. and used to confuse Americans of all stripes about this uberplant and create the myths that live on today. All across the media (even here in SC) the confusion about this gift from the Earth continues. There must be hundreds of coloquial terms, many of them derogatory, created in part by cannabists need to always stay a step ahead of their pursuers. All who believe the lies, even if only in part, instantly hear "DRUG!" when any of the other terms are mentioned. This of course was the intent from the beginning. That "we" spend hundreds of millions of "our" tax dollars yanking the ever surviving descendants of the crops brought here by the founding fathers and later by the patriots that helped us defeat 20th century fascism despite the complicity of slimy petroleum giants and their ilk, and burning it in some sort of private ritual is obscene. Their new term "ditchweed" is illustrative of its insatiable appetite for life. Denyed of their need to bring food to birds and others who fly it seems somehow poetic that they die in fire. Expensive, these funeral pyres. 1000's of $ per.
That Michigan and Illinois have seen clear to join the states that try to mitigate the disaster brought on by the feds, is heartening. Still, the neglect of the Sentinel staff in ignoring the larger question of hemp farming and its illegality is indicative of the collaboration (with AP) of the media in keeping this issue underground. Noticed that Montel's taken a nose-dive in media coverage? Patiently and persistantly we wait.
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